DxD Alternative: - Lucidity -
by CPU Azure
Summary: Is it really a dream if you can't wake up? Issei finds himself caught between a ruined future, a remade past, and a reality-altering present in a desperate search to understand the truth of his world. Who are these people? What happened in Kyoto all those years ago? And most importantly...who is he really; a human, or something more? Mid to Major AU.
1. Lucidity I

**A/N: Jesus I'm bad at this. So I have like a bunch of other ideas I'm working on _very slowly_. Plus I'm in college now, so my schedule is gonna be tight. But I'll still do my best to update any stories I work on, no matter how long it takes.**

 **With that out the way, I'm CPUAzure. I go by Azure or Michael. Doesn't really matter to me which one you use. I took the time to _rewrite_ a fucking author's note. Oh boy.**

 **First, I'd like to thank Nosferatu869 for making such awesome stories, and inspiring me enough to get up of my ass and write this story I've been sitting on for a while. And also Third Fang, for indirectly making me think about how a single would react to a different upbringing.**

 **Next up, this is kinda a pseudo crossover, but not at the same time. Like, it has SMT IV Apocalypse characters, but that plot is definitely staying in its game. I'd add it if I wanted to make this a clusterfuck, but it already kinda is. I'd also appreciate it if y'all point out any plot holes or mistakes you come across when reading.**

 **Final thing, I just want to say that this is my second story. Once again, would really love it you guys helped out with pointing out weird stuff.**

 **Like, _really_ love it.**

 **You guys tired of this author's note by now? I sure am. Here's the story then.**

* * *

" _ **This life is the greatest lie ever told and the hereafter is the greatest truth ever unknown."**_

 _ **\- Suhaib Webb**_

* * *

"Would you like to hear a story?"

A figure emerges from the darkness of a room, clad in a brown cloak. Upon their face sits a porcelain mask, obscuring all but their mouth.

"It wouldn't do any harm. After all, here we have _all the time in the world~_ " The figure spun on one foot before placing both hands on their hips. "Now then..."

"In a time not so long ago, there was a young man. He was plain, with a kind and eccentric heart. However, those around him only knew him for his odd interests and labeled him an outcast. A loner. Just as he had been as a child. So, he resigned himself to his life of mediocrity – prepared to stay by himself forever.

One day, he was approached by a beautiful woman. It was unlike anything he had experienced before. Something extraordinary; love at first sight. The young man fell for her, and would have done anything for her." The figure's disarming smile became a furious scowl.

"He died for her." Nails bit into palms, blood dripping onto the floor. "But it opened a way for him. A way into something more. The young man fought many battles and gained many allies. He achieved the dream he had chased for so long.

So why then, would tears fall from his eyes when he slept? 'Why do I feel as if it is all a lie?' he asked himself. Then he came to realize that those around him still didn't truly know him. They only knew the faces he wore to please them – the hero, the pervert, the vanguard.

None of them knew the lonely boy beneath the armor.

As time passed and the young man grew in power and stature, he drifted away from those he had come to call a family. He wandered the world, helping those in need and guiding the lost. Until he found a little girl in a forest. A young soul surviving through the _mimicry_ of others.

He took the girl in, and raised her as his own. The man taught her all he knew. He became her father, her teacher, her brother, her world. They were happy together. Then, on that fateful day, a war began. Brother fought against brother in a desperate bid for survival. The man left, ready to fulfill his duty to his family. 'Wait for me,' he told the girl. 'I'll come back for you.'

Weeks. Months. Years passed.

The man did not return.

The girl, a defenseless child no longer, took up her mentor's blade and set out to bring him home. She desperately fought her way across the war-torn world, determined to find the man who meant everything to her. And find him she did. Or rather, what was left of him. A few locks of hair, a pool of blood, his armor, and a man holding the gem from his gauntlet.

The gauntlet her mentor protected her with. The precious weapon from his soul." The back of the figure's hand pressed against their mask, as if mimicking distress.

"They say that the girl cuts a bloody swath of destruction across the land to this day, waging a crusade of vengeance against those who killed her mentor. But of course, such things are merely a story."

The figure walked further into the light, exposing porcelain skin and small plates of armor beneath the brown cloak.

"Now then, allow me to tell you a second story. It is rather similar to the first, in its own way. Would you care to hear it as well?"

 _ **GRRRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLL**_

A deep, guttural growl echoed through the room.

"Ah." The figure seemed amused. "There's no need to be so impatient. The next story is also about a kind young man. However, this one was born into a hellish future and given no name. He held nothing to call his own aside from a blade and the clothes on his back. But he was given the chance to become something more – a hero by the standards of his world – and to choose a name for himself. From that day on, he called himself Issei. It was a promise; a promise to stay true to himself and others.

So Issei and his companion set out, amassing a team of others like them to fight off the continuing threats to humanity. They helped rescue a man heralded as the savior of their land, and slew the leaders orchestrating the supernatural war within their city.

The time came for them to be recognized as heroes of humanity. At least, until everything went wrong. Issei and his companions were forced to watch as Issei's best friend – his first companion and friend – was devoured alive. Still they pressed on, seeking justice for the atrocities committed against humanity. But Issei was changed. He put on a mask for the others, hiding the doubt he felt. Was this path truly worth the death of his first and closest friend?

Was it worth the pain it would cause them all?

So he was told to decide; his bonds, or the power to keep this apocalypse from ever occurring again." The figure stopped speaking for a moment, gauging their audience's reaction. "...His choice matters not to the story. The young man called Issei was selfish, clinging desperately to what he could call his own. Even when it was long gone..."

"...Have you heard the explanation they give for sacred gears? God's gift to humanity – a way to defend themselves from the supernatural. Ahahaha…" The figure laughed, almost knowingly. "The truth is, they were made by a grieving child calling upon the power of creation. It was never a gift. It was a cry for vengeance. But you would know, wouldn't you..."

The figure's 'audience' stepped forward, illuminating brown hair and _glowing green eyes_.

" **Hyōdō Issei."**

The face of the **[Sekiryuutei]** ,while still young, betrayed the maturity gained from years of travel and discipline. His body on the other hand…

"I don't have time for your damn games Utsuro. What the hell did you call me here for?" The two bladed red wings sprouting from his back twitched. A red dragon's tail impatiently flicked back and forth.

The newly named Utsuro sent him (what they hoped was) a disarming smile. "Now, now Issei. There really is no need for–"

 _ **PRESSURE**_

" **Don't fuck with me, you freak of nature."**

Utsuro flinched at the sheer anger coating his words. "I-Issei, I just wanted to–"

"Wanted to what? Waste my time? So what if this place is _special_. The moment I leave, nothing will be different. Our world will still be dying, life will still be struggling to exist, and my _godsdammned daughter will still be out there tearing what's left to–"_

" _I JUST WANTED TO HELP YOU!"_

Issei froze, staring at Utsuro. He had never known them to do anything other than play the jester.

 _He had never seen tears fall from behind that mask._

"Utsuro, I...I'm sorry. I'm just...stressed. Too much has been happening. Everything's just been going so fast and–"

"….let me tell you one more story Ise-kun."

Issei was beginning to notice a theme in their discussion. One that was thrown completely out the window with Utsuro's change in demeanor.

"I can't promise you that you'll like it," The mask was removed. Issei stifled a gasp. "It's a story just like ours," An almost insane smile split Utsuro's face as glowing green stared into a teary, star-filled cosmos.

"Except to you, it might seem like a rude awakening."

* * *

 **Lucidity – Lucidity I**

 _[Lucidity–noun: 1. clarity of expression; intelligibility. 2. the ability to think clearly, especially in intervals between periods of confusion or insanity.]_

* * *

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP I'M GOING TO K-KISS YOU…..."

As odd as it sounded, Issei loved his alarm clock. Sure it could be annoying on certain days, but who wouldn't want to wake up to a cute girl calling your name?Or, at least as close to one as you could get.

Stumbling out of the bed and over to his bathroom, Issei was greeted with a relatively plain face.

His face, that is. Plain or not, he jokingly shot himself finger guns in the mirror, grabbing his toothbrush and some toothpaste.

Washing up taken care of, he slid over to his computer, glancing at his clock again.

6 o'clock AM. Peachy.

While becoming a NEET had become slowly appealing over the years, he also idly considered his parents reactions to such a path. His dad would be amused, and his mom…

Issei shuddered. There were two ways _that_ could go, and he wasn't so sure if he was fine with either one. He already caused them enough trouble as it was. He never was the most socially adept, so the moment he decided to tell others about his er, interests, his social life had ended.

He went from the 'weird but kind of cute loner kid' to the 'shameless scum of the earth'.

In all honesty, he should have expected it considering the country's view on censorship, but it still hurt all the same. Hell, it was amazing to him that his parents still showed him the support they did.

Especially because he wasn't even their son. He figured most others would have dumped someone as plain and worthless as him off somewhere a long–

"Iseeee-kuuuuuun…."

 _ **FEAR**_

"Oh Kami." Issei felt a cold sweat run down the back of his neck. How the hell does she even–

"Were you thinking bad things agaaaiin~?"

"A-ah, I..." For the love of all that is holy, how does this even happen?

"You weren't doubting the love I have for you….were you~?"

"N-no Kaa-san..." The oppressive atmosphere persisted for a moment, before dissipating.

"Good! Now hurry down here Issei, I made a nice breakfast for your first day back!" The voice of his mother chirped happily before he heard her walking away from his door. The sound of her steps faded. Then, and only then, did he let out a sigh of relief. He had no clue _why or even how_ his adoptive mother was able to tell when he was critical of himself, but he did know one thing.

She hated it. With a burning, almost unreasonable passion.

Who was he kidding? It was unreasonable as hell! Why would that even mean that much anyways? It was creepy, no matter how he looked at it. In fact, it was almost unnatural. Unfortunately, it wasn't that alone that made his interactions with his mother awkward.

"Yo, Issei." The aforementioned boy felt his eye twitch.

Issei's adoptive father wasn't a strict man. In fact, he was the exact opposite. Basara Hyōdō was a very laid-back man (as evidenced by his feet propped up on the kitchen table alongside the mug of something that _definitely wasn't just coffee_ in his hands), often coming across to others as Issei's older brother or cousin. It didn't help that he would never try to correct them either.

That definitely didn't help at all.

"Basara-baka~ What have I told you about putting your feet on the table, hmmmm?"

And here comes the scary-ass aura again.

"Uh...not to do it?" The sweat on his face was visible, and yet the poor man does nothing.

"Then why exactly...are you still doing it?" Dear Kami, save this man from himself.

For his credit, Basara still had the gall to bring the coffee-spiked alcohol (Issei would guess somewhere around 80 percent alcohol and 20 percent coffee, judging from his mother's reaction) to his lips and take a long, loud sip before responding. "Because it's comfortable."

Issei palmed his face. Basara took another sip. A pan flew out the kitchen. Wait, what?

 _ **GONG**_

"FUCK!" The chair was now empty. It's occupant?

Issei looked down.

Writhing on the floor, drink still safe from harm. How the hell does he do it?

"My...drink...must…enjoy..."

Another pan flew out the kitchen. Issei took this as his cue to leave the room.

.

.

.

Now then, the other thing that made his interactions with his mother awkward.

"Here you are~ I made your favorite today, Issei to celebrate your first day back!" Issei's mother set a plate of fried omelet in front of him, before placing the rest of the plates.

Issei was aware that he was known to be a pervert. He had read all manner of doujins (within reason), watched videos, etcetera. He'd seen the kind of stuff men his age dream about. Unfortunately, said men would have no clue how to react to it if it ever happened.

Men such as himself.

Issei's mom, Tsuki Hyōdō, was hot. Very hot. _Unnaturally hot_. She made whatever she wore look good, including the apron and t-shirt she was currently wearing. Her proportions were balanced, her brown hair fell in a cascade of caramel, her soft blue eyes shone with emotion, she was sweet, and was generally good at whatever she did as well.

Unfortunately, she was also _very_ affectionate and downright creepy as hell at times. And could be very, very violent at times.

Issei glanced at his father figure. A swollen green eye and a broken nose glanced back.

...violent indeed.

But the point was Issei was a healthy, hotblooded sixteen-year-old with a hot as fuck mom, and a dad that had no clue how to dad, and instead became an older brother.

Neither of them understood how it worked either. It was all he had known anyways.

"Basara, are you perhaps drinking during breakfast again?"

"...No?" He never learns, does he? "Wait, wait, wait!"

 _ **SLLLUUUUURRRRP**_

"Ah...that's better. Alright, continue."

Just another morning in the Hyōdō household.

 _ **CRASH**_

...Just another morning.

 **_{lucidity}_**

 **{lnɔıpıʇʎ}**

Kuoh Academy. A previously all-girls school, it had recently become co-ed. Recently, as in, Issei's freshman year.

A year during which he had established himself as a menace to women everywhere. Admittedly showing rampant perversion wasn't the _best_ approach to getting a harem, but he had a problem with being blunt. Issei knew what he was doing wasn't okay, but he had his reasons. Such as a crush. HE had a big one on Katase Yumi during his first year. Or, you know, spite.

Getting beat with wooden weapons until you were bloody wasn't necessarily ethical, and while he could have been tried for sexual deviancy himself, there was the matter that he could've charged for assault in return.

The Student Council knew this. The Kendo Club on the other hand, did not. So he sat there peeking because it was the only way he could ever see his crush during his freshman year. It was a habit he had broken though. Real girls kind of sucked. Especially when they continued to beat him just for being in the relative vicinity.

If that crap happened one more fucking time…

If he was being honest, Issei would say that Kuoh Academy was full of hypocrites. After all, he _personally_ knew that there were many girls perving on some of the males at the school.

Kiryuu Aika, if he remembered correctly, had some sort of odd fixation with him specifically. It was something he had only found out after realizing she was somehow always within the same area as him. _Always._ After a little asking around, Issei had found out he had some odd attention. Naturally, he had been a little excited. A girl was showing interest in him!

And then her interest moved on to some random other first year. One who then tried his luck, and was promptly humiliated in front of the class.

Issei then decided that he had better things to get excited about.

But that was then, and this was now! He was a second year at the prestigious Kuoh Academy, and was ready to make a new-and-improved mark on his classmates. Of course, once the girls stopped giving him dirty looks.

And not the good kind either.

The brunette idly looked around at the other students walking into the school, mentally noting anyone interesting.

People watching was much better than peeping after all.

Unfortunately, he didn't see many people that would count as 'interesting' in his book. But at the same time…was that a girl wearing half of the male uniform,...or an effeminate dude wearing part of the female uniform?

.

.

.

 **DING DONG, DING DONG...DING DONG DING DONG…**

Issei found himself wondering just who came up with that specific bell noise. It was almost iconic with how much it was used in anime.

But then again, most tropes _are_ based somewhat in reality.

He found himself idly chuckling to himself. Comparing anime to reality? Oh man. If that were the case, he'd probably end up as some uninteresting side character or something. Aside from his, er, _interests_ , he was probably one of the most average people you'd ever meet.

His grades were good, but not too good, his looks were average, his height was average, his family–

...was definitely _not_ average. But hell, even his tastes were relatively average!

He liked tits and ass, dammit! Why was that such a problem? Every man his age was the same!

...well, unless they batted for the other team. BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERED. Issei was an avid admirer of the female form, and while he reigned in his outbursts in the last year, some people still looked at him like he was a step away from committing sexual assault! How the absolute FUCK was he supposed to get a harem now?! These stupid double standards at this _Kami-forsaken fucking schoo–_

Why did it feel like he was being watched…? Issei glanced up from his lunch, mentally filing away his rant/monologue for a later date. Brown eyes idly scanned their surroundings before looking up and locking with blue-green orbs. Their owner gave the smallest smile, before turning and throwing crimson tresses over her shoulder. Meanwhile, Issei watched in disbelief as _Rias-goddamn-Gremory herself_ closed the window, seemingly content with her observations. He stared for a few more moments before returning back to his meal.

Unfortunately, it seems others noticed the short interaction if the sudden spike of killing intent was anything to go by.

'...I'm too young for this shit...'

.

.

.

 **DING DONG, DING DONG...DING DONG DING DONG…**

Issei wasn't so sure if it was a good thing he was ready as hell to leave an area mainly populated by hot girls. But then he remembered just what kind of place Kuoh Academy was, and promptly left.

Who the hell designed those female uniforms anyways? Even _the old man_ agreed that it made them look like jailbait. And he normally gave zero fucks about anything on the daily basis.

It had gotten them into almost as much trouble as Issei's own perversion, and that was saying something. But that wasn't necessarily his business anyways. Or maybe it was, considering his dad's attitude had almost caused them both great bodily harm. On multiple occasions.

Hey, at least it had taught him things. Like that it was slightly weird for some random girl he'd never seen before to ask him out on a date.

...wait a second.

"Hyōdō-kun! I love you! Please go out with me?"

…

…

[Illegible mental noises]

 _We're sorry, has stopped working. Would you like to wait, or close the program?_

[Wait]

"A-ah. S-sure…?" Smooth, Issei. Smooth.

"Great! I'll see you then Ise-kun!"

And so Issei got a date for Sunday evening.

 **_{lucidity}_**

 **{lnɔıpıʇʎ}**

Issei was a happy man. Why wouldn't he be?

Sure, his family was weird beyond his reasoning and he was ostracized by his peers but he had a date with a hot chick on Sunday! A hot chick he doesn't know and has never seen before!

...Kami, that sounded sad and lonely. In a perfect world, he would have asked out Katase during freshman year, and not have made an ass of himself. But no~, he just had to lose his shit when he sees any attractive female.

But then again, last year seemed...off to him. Something was wrong with Kuoh Academy, and something inside him was screaming to try and find out what it was. That something was suddenly and abruptly silenced and isolated within his first two days.

It wasn't natural. Issei had always been a horny teen – at least since puberty hit him _fucking hard_ – but something in those halls was driving his hormones wild. Almost as wild as his idle curiosity at the moment. The brunette glanced at his PC.

A couple hours on Google couldn't hurt, right?

'Myths of Japan'

'Urban Legends of Kuoh'

.

.

.

"…...I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP….YOU WILL BE CUT INTO PIECES IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP….."

Another morning, another dumb day of...wait a sec. It was Sunday.

…

Hell yeah.

…

HELL YEAH, HE MIGHT GET SOME PUSSY TODAY.

Wait, that's probably not best way to go about this. He's only going on a date...but on the other hand-

FUCK YEAH LUCKY OUTFIT!

Issei looked himself over one last time. Lucky socks, check. Lucky boxers, check. Lucky shirt and pants?

The brunette shot himself finger guns. And this time, he really felt it.

Double check. He was gonna give this girl the best date ever. He even planned it all out!

First, they'd walk around the Sunday Market and get food, then he'd take her to the arcade and impress her with his reflexes. Finally, he'd end the date under a beautiful sunset at the nearby park.

The plan was foolproof. His classmates didn't really go to the market, Matsuda and Motohama spent their Sundays jacking off, and finally his dad would keep his mom busy for the day.

Issei felt pretty proud of himself as his date's lips pressed against his and her tongue intertwined with his. Kami, he felt _good_.

"Ise-kun, could you do something for me?" Her words were like honey, dripping between harsh breaths and sweet, hungry kisses.

And Issei loved every moment of it.

"Of course," Lips met again. "Anything." And again. "Just ask," And again. "And I'll give it to you..."

"Anything…?" He was caught; nothing more than a lamb following its loving shepherd, "Then...,"

 **Oblivious to the knife in his hand, and the blood on his clothes.**

" _Could you give me your life, Ise-kun?"_ Her grip on his shirt tightened.

Issei felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck. "Wh-what? C-could you say that again-mmph!" Lips met for one last time. The girl slowly broke the kiss, and the brunette watched in horror as two wings – like an angels – unfurled from her back.

But these wings, were as dark as night.

" **Will you die for me?"**

Black feathers embraced them, weaving hypnotic patterns in the breeze as violet eyes changed from cute to psychotic. _Deranged._ The girl let out a demented giggle, before laughter filled the park.

' _Why do I feel so cold?'_ He struggled to look down.

Red. So much red. Was it his? Brown eyes met dull violet discs. "Well, Ise-kun? Would you diiieeeeee for meeee?" Something left his body with a wet crunch.

' _It hurts so much...Mom, Dad...I...'_ The sky was red like the ground. _'I...'_ Black feathers kissed his skin.

' _I want to see you again.'_

The fountain ran red as screams echoed through the night. The skies opened up, and wept for a young man.

And in a distant future, time moved in reverse.

* * *

 _ **So this is how it ends, huh?**_

…

 _ **That's pathetic, kid. That's not the stubborn bastard**_ **I** ** _deemed worthy. That's not the monster that tore me limb from limb._**

…

 _ **It won't end like this. You still have unfinished business right? Heh.**_

 _ **So then, kid. How about you and I make a deal. One last time. Just repeat after me. Surely you remember the stupid shit you said the last time around, right?**_

' _ **My bonds will give me the strength to defeat you'?**_

 _ **Jog any memories? No? Hmph, to say you spouted all that lunacy about bonds to me. Look at you, you can't even remember your first companion. Bah, no matter, care to remind these fools of my name again?**_

 _ **The deal has been struck. And while your new life is your own, you've got some...responsibilities to take care of.**_

* * *

[Kuoh Central Park, 9:57 PM]

"How filthy. And they call _us_ brutes."

A young-looking man gazed at the bloody mess before him. He would have looked rather handsome, if not for the mandibles tearing through the side of his face, his two extra sets of arms, and his _far too many_ eyes.

"Whatever, as if I'd let perfectly good meat go to waste." A twisted facsimile of a smile crossed his face before it split open, revealing a dripping tongue and vicious fangs. "Dinnertime – hm?" The creature wasn't one to waste time observing his food, but…

He was fairly certain that corpses shouldn't be glowing green. Or glowing at all as a matter of fact.

"...Pretty sure that's a bad sign." He deliberated for a moment, before smacking a clawed first against an equally unnatural palm. "If I beat the shit outta it and cut it up some more, it's gotta stop glowing, right?" He was a genius.

The man-spider-thing stalked towards the corpse – wait why was it moving? Corpses don't move. Or look extremely pissed. Or hold glowing swor–

His world went dark.

 **\- With Issei -**

What the hell? What just…

Issei glanced down, noticing some...er, odd marks on his left hand. Those were definitely new. He was pretty sure he would remember getting a large, glow-in-the-dark green x-like shape on the back of his hand. Or the similar lines running up his left arm.

Oh, and the sword. He _definitely_ would have remembered the large fucking sword.

Definitely. Alongside the corpse of whatever the heck that thing on the ground was. Considering no one else was in the area, he'd say that he did that.

' _So then, let's assess the situation. There's blood everywhere. I_ should _be dead, but I got better after talking to some Scottish voice that speaks Japanese. Okay, yep. Ab-so-lutely going to have a panic attack tonight. Oh, and that cute girl – Yuuma-chan, I think – is a psychopath who quite literally ripped something out of my body. Great.'_

"Alright, Issei. Home first, mental breakdown later."

.

.

.

The first thing Issei noticed was that his mother wasn't home. There was no worried fretting over his battered form. No smell of homemade cooking. No noise from the TV.

It was silent.

"Issei." Except for the voice of one Basara Hyōdō, sitting at the dinner table under a single, dim light.

"Hey...Tou-san, I'm back." Basara seemed taken aback for moment.

"Yes...you are," The man's eyes stopped at the large hole in his 'son's' shirt. His eyes narrowed. "Sit down for a moment, Issei."

The tired teen sat down at the table. "Hey...where's Kaa-san?"

Basara stopped his actions for a moment. "She'll be out for a while Issei. Has business to take care of, she'll be back soon though. Don't worry about it."

The man resumed his mixing at the small bar area. Liquid from different bottles mixed together in the mugs in front of him. Stirring the drink one last time and nodding to himself, he brought the drinks to the table. "Here you are, Issei. Now then," He gestured to the drink, then at his own. "Let's talk."

Issei glanced at his mug, noting the strong smell. "Uh, Tou-san? I can't drink. I'm underage." His father figure simply waved his hand at him.

"It's more to calm your nerves than anything else. Now, as I said. Let's talk, Issei."

The younger brunette brought the drink to his lips, quirking a brow at the subtly sweet, smooth taste. His father narrowed his eyes further.

"Better?" Issei gave a nod. "Good. So, what happened tonight." The teen hesitated. "Hm, so that's how it is...guess there's no choice." Issei looked up curiously at his father figure.

Only to subsequently recoil in fright as a cruel-looking blade appeared – in a flash of violet light – into the man's waiting palm. "Don't worry, it's only for show. Now do you think you can tell me?"

Issei slowly gave another nod. And then broke down in front of the man who raised him. He told him everything. The girl, the date…

His death…

He stopped for a moment before continuing. Something felt wrong to him; almost like it was missing. Blinking away any more tears, he checked his cellphone. It was cracked, and still had some of his blood on it.

But it was still the same as it always was. And for some odd reason, it felt **oh so wrong to him.**

 **\- With Basara -**

The first thing he did was try to quell the rage in his veins. Someone, or _something_ , had attempted to kill his nephew.

That was their first mistake.

Their second one, would have been leaving the body to rot, but if Issei's explanation was anything to go by, that was covered as well. At least, so it seemed.

But all that mattered now, was that his brother's son was still alive. Or should he say his son? He did raise him.

Basara glanced at his nephew again.

No, he could never be his father. He simply wasn't fathering material. Case and point: he just gave his son hard liquor. Not that it even mattered. And that brought him to his second point.

That shit, it wasn't natural. Nothing about it was. If he needed any further proof that Issei should be dead – at least aside from the large hole in his shirt – then he got it just now. From his experience, no matter _what you were_ , Devil, Angel, Fallen, anything else under the fuckin sun–

He knew would to make them plastered out of their damn mind. His alcohol tolerance, as lame of an ability it seemed, was evidence of a natural filter in his body.

One that most things – Issei included – didn't have. After all, why would they have something that shouldn't even exist at all?

So Issei's new...'ability' meant one of two things. One, something must have **[Erased]** his son and taken his place. That was promptly thrown out the window. If that was the case, his blade would've purged the illusion from it's form.

That left the second one, and Basara wasn't so sure if it was better. Messing with **Anima Magic** , especially **Necromancy** , never ended well for anyone. Especially the target.

But there was no residual magic tying him to a caster, or any magic signature that could be affiliated with a faction. And _that_ was where the main problem was.

He had never heard anything about Scottish gods. In fact, last he checked, they were currently affiliated with Heaven. So what the hell would they need with a...Godslayer, was it? And why _Issei_ of all people? Unlike himself and his 'wife', the boy was completely normal.

…

…

Right?

 **\- With Issei -**

[Issei's Bedroom, 4:52 AM]

Issei woke up covered in a cold sweat.

' _What just...what did I...'_ His hands gripped his head, grabbing clumps of brown hair.

"What's wrong with me?" Nothing was making sense. Who were those people? And why…

Why did he feel so guilty?

.

.

.

[Kuoh Academy, 9:30 AM]

"Alright class, today..." Issei wasn't listening.

' _I wonder...'_ He gazed at the tree outside the window. Its leaves were already changing colors despite fall just starting. It moved at its own pace, uncaring of the world around it. _'If I would have died and never gotten up again...'_ A leaf fell.

' _Would_ _anyone have missed me?'_

"Issei!" The brunette snapped his head towards the teacher. "Would you mind answering the question, or are you too lost in your fantasies to pay attention?"

The jeering laughter of the class gave him his answer. There was no good humor in it; only the desire to see him humiliated.

It pissed him off.

The chair moved back with a sharp screech. The class watched with stunned silence as Issei stalked towards the board. He realized after a moment that his nails were embedded into his palms.

He disregarded the marker his teacher tried to give him, taking one off the whiteboard instead. Glancing at the board and glancing back at the teacher, the brunette came to a conclusion.

The teacher thought that he didn't know how to do this.

He didn't fucking die yesterday, have nightmares, and find out that supernatural bullshit has been around since _day one,_ just to deal with this crap this morning. He was **not in the mood.**

So he solved the damn question, turned back around and sat down in his seat. This time though, he was staring straight ahead.

The rest of the room got the unspoken challenge.

 _ **Anyone else?**_

.

.

.

[Kuoh Academy, 11:20 AM]

He felt like he was being watched again. But this time, he couldn't be bothered to look up. Issei didn't know _why_ Rias Gremory was worshiped like some kind of goddess, or why who she decided to stare at was the business of the student body, but he truly couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Who was to say she wasn't like Yuuma? A pretty face with a psychopath center? Everything about her was so perfect to everyone. Well, aside from himself at least.

Sure, she had giant tits, a pretty face, and that luscious red hair…

But so did Akeno, except her hair was black.

The point was, he knew absolutely nothing about her aside from the fact that she was hot. Most people probably didn't know much either, considering she stayed within her little club clique.

He knew nothing about her, she knew nothing about him. And yet, she was watching _him_ out of all these people in the area.

Another case of something that felt wrong to him. The feeling only got worse when Kiba walked up.

"You are Hyōdō Issei-san, correct?"

Issei quirked a brow from his seat under a tree. "Who's asking?"

"Our president, Rias Gremory, would like to meet with you," He still had that same polite smile on his face.

Having it sometimes was fine. But all the time?

That was just plain creepy.

The brunette mulled it over for a moment. The Occult Research Club was one of the hot topics of the school. An exclusive club composed of some of the most popular students in school. No one knew how to join, or even when it formed. Being asked to meet their sexy president away from the prying eyes of the school was a rare opportunity.

An opportunity he couldn't pass up. For multiple reasons at that. If he were somehow able to join, then maybe – just maybe – he could find out something about what could have caused last night.

"Sure thing. Lead the way Yuuto-san." Kiba's eyebrows twitched in shock for a moment, before he smiled and gestured for Issei to follow. An interaction the nearby female students didn't miss.

"Is Kiba-san going to make the pervert a gentleman?" Some squeals.

"He'll take him into a nearby classroom and 'teach him'!" More squeals.

Issei and Kiba briefly made eye contact, both of their faces twitching. "We don't speak about this. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

And so a bond was formed through mutual annoyance.

.

.

.

[Old School Building, 11:31 AM]

"Well, this is awkward."

The occupants of the room had been staring at him for the last five minutes, simply drinking, eating, shooting him apologetic glances (that one was Kiba), or just fucking _staring_.

STOP. STOP IT. THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Aside from him being alive when he should be dead, but there was no way that they would know that.

"Is it?" Akeno sent him a coy look. Just like the last two times he tried to start a conversation. By now it was getting pretty clear to him that this was a waste of his time and effort. Getting a chance to look at two of the hottest girls in school up close and in person was great and all, but he just wasn't in the mood right now. Issei came here because he thought there was information to be found. He didn't come here to be disregarded for fifteen damn minutes.

Fine-ass chicks be damned.

The only upside was that Mr. Pretty-Boy over there seemed as equally confused as he was. Kiba looked like he had absolutely no clue why his president was acting like he didn't exist. As interesting as _that_ was however, Issei had better things to do.

He could be jerking off right now, for fuck's sake.

"Well, if you simply called me here to waste my time, then you've succeeded. I'll be taking my leave now."

Now that got a reaction.

Akeno's face twitched slightly, Koneko gave him an annoyed look, Kiba seemed baffled, and whoever the hell was in that pile of pillows in the corner glanced away from him.

As for Rias herself?

"Hmm. What a shame then," the club president hummed lowly, feigning a disappointed tone. One Issei wasn't going to fall for today.

"Yeah. It is."

The door shut behind him.

 **\- With Kiba -**

Kiba's hand met his face. Hard.

Meanwhile, his master seemed rather confused. "I thought you said that he was an unrepentant pervert, Koneko."

Issei was a perv, Kiba knew that much. But unrepentant?

He let out a quiet sigh. _'The people here really_ don't _understand the concept of change, do they...'_ It was rather ridiculous in his opinion. He knew Rias was young, but as a noble wasn't she supposed to be better versed in manipulating people?

It was literally their job. They enticed people to let them fulfill their desires. But in order to succeed at that, you need to understand people to begin with. The entire peerage had taken a class on reading behaviors, for the Maous' sake! Was he the only one that had been paying attention?

He glanced over at Rias.

As he got closer to her desk, the words on a page caught his eye.

'…" _No!" Naruto cried out as his mentor fell over the edge…?'_ Kiba leveled a flat look in his master's direction. Not only had she ruined her chance at finding out what was going on with Issei, but she was writing a Naruto fanfiction in the process?

Yes, he had been the only one paying attention. She was probably doing something like this at the time as well.

Time to intervene.

"Buchou, are you absolutely sure that trying to appeal to his perversion and not his visible distress was the wisest opinion?" Or you know, someone else would do it for him.

"What do you mean, Karada-san?" Kiba stifled a groan. How does she expect him to protect her, _and_ defend her decisions?

It's been either one or the other as of late…

"Well...it was pretty obvious that Ise-kun was distressed when he came in," Wait, _Ise-kun_? Was Karada familiar with him or something? "And your little clique calling him here just to ignore him wasn't necessarily the smartest idea." Damn, that tone was passive-aggressive if he'd ever seen it.

Maybe he should ask for tips.

Akeno's smile gained a small edge. "Perhaps you should've handled the meeting instead, hmm?"

Karada's figure stiffened from her perch in the back of the room. Gasper shivered under his pillow fort.

Kiba sent him a small smile. _It'll be alright,_ he motioned towards the hiding boy.

As the shivering calmed down, Kiba could only realize that he needed more male friends. Being surrounded by this many females without any dudes was weird. And stressful.

Gasper didn't count either.

By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, the blonde knight realized that Karada was gone and Akeno seemed even more irritated.

"What'd I miss?" Koneko glanced at him for a moment, before returning to her cookie.

"Karada-san annoyed Akeno and left."

Oh, so the usual.

Rias' desk was clear now, with the redhead staring down at a single sheet of paper intently. Akeno looked over her shoulder. "Ara ara, maybe another try at that is an order, Buchou."

Rias let her head hit the desk.

 **\- Unknown Perspective -**

[Kyoto's Youkai City – Market District, 11:43 PM]

A young man with a yellow and black jacket stepped into an alley.

"Dammit...what'd they call me all the way to Kyoto for?" He ran a hand through his hair before idly messing with a few dark gray strands. "Should've gotten a haircut first..."

A glance to left, then the right.

"Did...did they make a hidden door? Really?" The steps beneath where it would've been gave it away easily. "And then left the _steps there_? Jeez, they must be a mess without him."

He knocked on the 'wall' in an odd pattern.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Hallelujah." The door opened, revealing a blonde with her hair in a ponytail.

"You know, you don't have to use that name anymore, right?" She seemed rather amused.

"Eh, it'd feel weird if I didn't. You know that _you_ don't have to wear that outfit anymore right?" The red leather jacket and short-shorts were one thing. But the cloak was another. It just seemed so extra to him.

"It'd feel weird not to," Cheeky woman. "Everyone else is already inside. What took you so long?"

Hallelujah stared at her.

"Well Nozomi, not everyone has the luxury of living amongst the youkai. In fact, you're lucky that no one saw me on the way over here."

Kyoto's Youkai City was a pretty decently kept secret, and while they did usually live with the humans of Kyoto, the vast majority preferred to stake their claim in the Youkai City. It was constructed to be a safe haven in plain sight, not to mention that the temple where Yasaka and her kin lived was within its territory.

In short, it was a veritable stronghold for the Youkai faction. Moving towards it was considered an act of war, or one of absolute stupidity.

So when Nozomi told him that the were going to have their meeting in the _middle of the Youkai City_ , he was understandably pissed. Remaining under the radar was hard enough in modern-day Japan, but having the youkai on his ass too?

 _Hell_ no.

Nozomi laughed nervously.

"W-well, that's great then!" She motioned towards the couches. "Come on, take a seat."

Hallelujah was moments away from tearing into her before her previous words finally registered. "...Everyone…?" The blonde offered him a soft smile and a nod.

The grey haired teen stepped into the 'main area' and stopped in shock.

"Holy shit."

Nozomi had been right. EVERYONE was in the room. Even Gaston and Navarre. Even _Alice._ He turned his head over towards a preteen girl on a couch. Her hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. But even despite the new appearance, despite her face stuck in a volume of Hunter×Hunter, he could still tell from the sheer aura of power she gave off. That, and the Mikado samurai garb.

It was Miss Isabeau.

He had assumed that she hadn't reincarnated, but her being in front of him in the flesh only raised his hope.

Hallelujah scanned the room. "Where's Asahi?"

Navarre stopped playing with his (now green, funny enough) hair. Gaston looked up from cleaning his new spear. Nozomi looked like she had been slapped. Toki looked away.

Isabeau gave him his answer. "She didn't make it through."

Oh. Yikes. That explained a lot. "Oh."

"Oh indeed." She went back to reading her manga.

The gray-haired boy observed the others instead of asking further. Gaston and Navarre looked to be the same age – about fifteen or so – but definitely weren't siblings anymore. Navarre's black wings and spiky green hair saw to that difference. Gaston's hair seemed _slightly_ similar, but was longer. And brown. Add that to their new facial features and you had completely new people.

It was slightly concerning.

Toki was sharpening a knife in the corner, her new...appendages twitching. Her hair, and by default ears and tail, were still black, but was also styled in a braid like Isabeau's. Red eyes met his.

Wolf features fit her well, he decided. But the slight resemblance to Yasaka was also concerning.

Alice looked the exact same – probably due to her coming through the same way he did. Meanwhile Black Frost looked to be enjoying his newfound human body, if his happy grin and floating was anything to go by. His purplish-blue hair rustled slightly in an unseen wind. His red eyes met with Hallelujah's.

"Hey-ah, ho!" Yep. Definitely enjoying himself.

Hallelujah turned back to Nozomi. "So, enjoying the new – heh – threads?" Seeing her got a chuckle out of him. He hadn't realized before, but she was floating.

 _On fairy wings._

The rebirth cycle had jokes, he'd give it that.

The fairy puffed her cheeks out at him. "Well, not all of us had the _privilege_ of getting our old bodies back." Still cheeky. Wait.

"Did that stupid cloak just–" Nozomi winked.

"Can't call it stupid now can ya?" She blinked. " _Ahem_ , can you."

Hallelujah let a teasing grin cover his face. "Having fun there?" She landed on the ground, showing that she was now about the same height as him.

"Oh, sure. Laugh it up kid. You're just jealous you don't look this good." He glanced her over. About...fifteen in appearance just like Navarre and Gaston.

"No thanks, not a fan of jailbait."

The blonde gaped at him for a moment. "But you're...I...whatever."

She stormed away, leaving the boy guffawing by the wall. "Oh Kami – my sides!"

If only she knew how accurate his statement was. If only.

"Al-alright," he gasped for a moment. "Enough jokes. What'dja call us here for Nozomi?" The aforementioned fairy glared at him for a moment longer before relenting.

"I didn't call us here. Isabeau did." All eyes in the room shifted to the small brunette.

She said nothing at first, carefully marking her page and closing the book. Then she opened her eyes and made to spea-

Wait. WHAT THE FU-

Hallelujah felt his knees buckle for a moment as the world tried (keyword: _tried_ ) to comprehend her voice.

The girl blinked for a moment, blushed and then took a breath in. Then a breath out.

"Sorry about that." Jeez. What the hell was that about?

Nozomi waved a hand at her. "Don't worry about it, you're still working on it."

"Sure...but it's still embarrassing. You'd think that I'd have it after all this time" All what time?

He decided to voice the implied question. "Isabeau, you're like twelve, right? There's no way you could've mastered it by now."

Isabeau quirked an eyebrow. "I-" Her eyes widened and she closed her mouth. Another breath in. Another breath out. "I guess you really have been under the radar. Didn't you hear about the newest demigod in the Shinto pantheon?"

The teen stared at her. "...the one that had everyone freaking out for years...?"

"Hm. I thought that you would've," Another breath. "Been too young to remember that. It _was_ a couple hundred years ago, after all."

Oh. Damn.

"So..."Nozomi was giving him a weird look. "That jailbait comment then..."

Hallelujah decided it was better to leave that be.

"As you were saying Isabeau?"

"Ah, yes. I called you here," It really must suck having to stop this much. "To tell you about something I sensed about seventeen years ago."

"Do we need to kill it?" Toki seemed morbidly interested, her ears and tail perking up. Good to see some things never change.

"I, dunno yet." The pauses were getting shorter. "All I know was that it felt like it came from **[The Expanse]**."

Fuck.

"Not to mention...I sensed **him** too."

Double fuck.

If their little 'squad leader' was there, or at least was supposedly there, the others (read: the females) would undoubtedly want to hunt him down. Personally, Hallelujah figured it would be better to leave him be. If his best buddy really was around and remembered everything, he definitely would've found them already.

And if it was like seventeen years ago, then what the hell does that make them? A couple of immortals (probably), a youkai of some unknown age, and two fifteen year-olds hunting down a random teenager (in theory at least)?

This was wack as hell. At least, that's what the kids these days say, right?

"So we're going to Kuoh Town, right? I'll make sure to have my spear polished and sharpened for the trip!"

Blending in was going to be hard. Very hard.

 **\- No Living Perspective -**

[Unknown Location, Nighttime]

The forest was quiet. There was no breeze, no chirping of birds, no noise of crickets and cicadas.

It was dead.

And as the moonlight wept over the silent clearing, a lone figure disappeared into the misty woods…

Leaving a field of bodies in its wake.

.

.

.

 **\- With Issei -**

Issei really didn't know what to expect.

Being called to the most exclusive club in the school was pretty crazy to him, but after yesterday…

Everything seemed so suspicious.

An unforeseen movement would cause him to jump. Sudden lights sent him into a panic. And trusting new people was just getting harder and harder.

Sitting in that room was sending his newfound senses into absolute overdrive. It was taking a lot – a whole fucking lot – of self-control not to break down and panic.

Something was terribly, _terribly_ wrong with the people in that room. Even Kiba, who was friendlier than he'd ever seen him had something...foul coming off of him.

But the worst of it came from the girl at the desk. It was Rias Gremory herself, emitting a sickly sweet smell that drove his body and mind insane.

A smell that reminded him of Yuuma.

The brunette figured that it was nothing but his soul-crushing, mind-numbing fear that kept him from indulging in some rather, er, _personal_ fantasies. That and the anger at her casual dismissal of his presence.

You know, the one she asked for?

Issei eyes stung with tears.

Dammit! He just wanted a girlfriend! He didn't ask to be murdered, to have uncontrollable fear of the unfamiliar…

To feel so alone.

He wished Matsuda and Motohama were still here. Hell, he wished Rina was still here. Any of his friends, really.

He wiped at his eyes. Shouldn't make his father worry anymore than he already did, right?

"You look terrible Issei." Well that didn't work.

"Uh...hey," Issei responded lamely. "Is Kaa-san back yet?"

The man paused. "Erm, not yet. I'm, uh, sure she'll be back soon…?"

Yeah. Sure. Real convincing dad.

"Did something happen, Tou-san?"

Basara paled. "Uh, not necessarily...ah, fuck it," He let his head fall into his palm. "Your mother left. I don't necessarily know _where_ she went, but she looked pissed. Funny enough, it just so happened to be when you died, kid." Damn, Issei could feel _that_ irritation.

"So then, what's got you all worked up?" Basara took a sip.

"There's something wrong with the people at school"

The man motioned for him to continue.

"When I went to meet with the most exclusive club on the campus, they smelled weird. It felt like something was in my head."

Basara choked.

"Ack...wait," More coughing. "Hoo...alright, mind repeating that?"

"The head of that club I met with today, Rias Gremory," Basara suddenly looked tired beyond belief. "Smelled really weird, and it felt like something was messing with my head."

Issei's father figure glanced at his drink. "This isn't gonna be enough..." He pushed it to the side, reached behind him, and pulled out an unlabeled bottle. "But this might do."

The younger brunette watched in disbelief as his 'father' took a long drink from the bottle.

' _What the...I can smell that crap from here! It's like it's right under my nose!'_

Basara put down the (now empty what the fuck) bottle and sighed.

"Well kid, congratulations. You've met not one, but two supernatural beings in a row that probably don't have the best intentions for you," The man closed his eyes. "You know, I really shouldn't even be surprised. Especially with how much shit Ren was surrounded by on a daily basis..."

"Ren? Wait, what does my dad have to do with this?"

"A lot. More than you can imagine Issei. But that's a story for another time. More importantly, let's talk about what _you_ are going to do next time they decide to call you."

* * *

 **And cut. Have another Author's Note. They'll probably be down here from now on.**

 **Here's my thoughts…**

 **On Issei: Since he has a different upbringing, he's changed quite a bit. In canon, his parents were disappointed in him. In Lucidity they stayed completely supportive, even though he isn't their real son. Not to mention that an actual person wouldn't just take abuse like he does and act like nothing is wrong. **

**He's also still freaking out over the fact that he got killed.**

 **On Basara:** **He was originally going to be an older version** **of the protagonist of Shinmai Maou no Testament, but sort of became his own person as the story progressed. If this was based in 'canon' he wouldn't be mentioned since (aside from being an OC) he would have died. Instead he took the place of Issei's father. Enough said.**

 **On Tsuki:** **Yikes. That is all.**

 **On Raynare:** **Nobody seems to take liberties with her origins or why she's even in Kuoh to begin with. That's a lot of untapped potential guys.**

 **On Kiba:** **I mean, you can't tell me that he really doesn't want any male friends. Especially since he's surround by girls on a daily basis. Sounds cool at first, but I've been there. It kinda sucks. To me, Kiba seems like he puts up the 'Loyal Knight' role to reduce some stress and give himself purpose.**

 **On the SMT crew:** **Reincarnation is a bitch, ain't it?**

 **On Kuoh Academy:** **Even in the official series, that place had hella double standards.** **And since it's run by Devils, it's the perfect place for them to practice manipulation of desires and law. Why is it okay for Aika to perv on dudes or for others to worship the ground Rias, Akeno, and Kiba walk on? It's a little suspicious to me, and always has been. What makes them so perfect to absolutely everyone, even though they only keep to themselves?**

 **On Future Issei:** **3spooky5me**

 **On Utsuro:** **Hooray for bipolar (and possibly insane) characters!**

 **On this chapter:** **There's a lot of stuff going on here, mainly since everything past the intro happens in the same time period. I'm also pretty sure most people don't write things with the literal intent of mood whiplash either.**

 **But I did.**

 **For most stories like this one, I'll also add some codex entries at the end of each chapter where it's relevant. Like this one.**

* * *

 **\- Codex Archives: Lucidity -**

 **Issei Hyōdō:** A seventeen year-old second year student at Kuoh Academy, and adoptive son of Tsuki and Basara Hyōdō. His dream is to become Harem King – a dream that might come true sooner than he thinks – but he also used to have a strong attraction to Yumi Katase, one of the two captains of Kuoh's kendo team.

After falling by the hands of Yuuma Amano, Issei has unlocked an unknown power, forever changing his fate. What does this new power have in store?

 **Basara Hyōdō:** A man in his late early thirties who was tasked with raising Issei by his brother, Ren Hyōdō. He unfortunately doesn't know how to 'properly' parent, but tries his best – when he's not drinking that is. During his travels, he gathered a host of various skills and weapons, and a taste for alcohol.

After the death and subsequent rebirth of his 'son', he was forced to reveal his awareness of the supernatural to Issei. Every hero requires a guide, and this one just so happens to come in the form of a drunkard uncle.

 **Tsuki Hyōdō:** A woman fulfilling the role of Issei's mother. She has some unknown relation to Issei's family, and absolutely adores her charge.

Following Issei's death and rebirth, Tsuki suddenly disappeared. Where has she gone?

 **Utsuro:** A woman dressed in a cloak with a porcelain mask. She has some relation to the Future Issei she spoke with, and just might not be the most stable of people.

Why is she even here? Anyone? No?

 **Rias Gremory:** The president of the Occult Research Club, one of the 'Great Ladies of Kuoh', and one of the many Devils and other supernatural beings at Kuoh Academy. She has an interest in Issei, but doesn't necessarily now how to approach him. For what reason, you ask? To recruit him of course!

...Right?

 **Kiba Yuuto:** The 'Great Prince' of Kuoh Academy, and a servant to Rias Gremory. He bonded with Issei over mutual annoyance, and sees him as a prospective acquaintance.

He also has no clue as to why Rias has been making bad decisions as of late.

None at all. Nope.

 **Karada-san:** Issei's possible stalker. She lurks in the Old School Building with Rias and her servants.

 **Aika Kiryuu:** Part of the reason why Issei dislikes Kuoh. Aside from being known for embarrassing various males at the academy, she is also a giant pervert that could rival Issei during his freshman year. According to him, she had also set her sights on him to make him a 'victim'.

Was he right about her? Only time will tell.

 **Hallelujah:** A teenager with dark gray hair and unknown origins. He apparently went through the reincarnation process with a few other people.

Although truthfully, he might be older – far older – than he looks.

 **Nozomi:** A young adult who also went through the reincarnation process. Still adjusting to her rebirth as a fairy – which Hallelujah finds hilarious – she currently stays away from combat and plays a 'second-in-command' role to Isabeau.

 **Toki:** A teenager who went through the reincarnation process. Her rebirth as a youkai does not bother her in the slightest.

 **Navarre and Gaston:** Siblings who went through the reincarnation process. Navarre was reborn as a Fallen Angel, and Gaston as a human. They were raised in the same colony in a secluded area of Japan, and specialized in the same fields they had before their rebirth.

 **Alice and Black Frost:** Two unknown people that Hallelujah and the others seem familiar with. Black Frost supposedly wasn't human to begin with though…

 **Isabeau:** A young adult reborn as a demigod. Her conception caused a great stir in the various factions of the world, causing her to attempt to slip into anonymity. Isabeau's new powers caused her to construct a tendency to stay silent and read manga – not that that bothers her. After all, the ability to shake the earth with a word is terrifying indeed.

She acts as a 'commander' of sorts for her group despite her young appearance. What – or who – is it that they're searching for?

 **Ren Hyōdō:** Issei's father by blood. His absence is due to unknown means, leaving his brother Basara to care for his son.

 **Kuoh Town:** A rather large town to the southwest of Kyoto. Kuoh is said to be a cultural meeting point – a haven to the supernatural. The amount of urban legends within Kuoh is worth noting to any who wish to stay there.

If only Issei understood this. Maybe, just maybe, the events to come could be avoided.

 **Kyoto's Youkai City:** A hidden city within Kyoto that acts as a haven for youkai and humans alike. The Youkai City acts as the 'capital' and base of operations for the Youkai faction. Every person who enters and exits the city is carefully recorded via magic, while patrols and various wards keep the city well protected and hidden from prying eyes.


	2. Lucidity II

**A/N: Author's Note, Author's Corner, and Codex entries are located at the bottom. Also you should read Dreams of Red** by Ciel du Nord. Good shit right there.

 **Edit: I almost forgot to respond to the reviews. Yikes.**

 **ProDeniz: Thanks man. I kinda struggled with this one since I lost the chapter outline, but I think letting the characters 'take over' helped a lot. And nah, Kiba and Karada are two different people, it's just that Karada cut Kiba off before he could speak.**

 **The Azure Reaper: I...I'm not so sure if this was a prediction or a question. But either way, that's definitely not what's going on at the moment.**

 **Toxiclogical: Well shit, thanks dude!**

 **MrSunshine744: Thanks man! I outlined the main plot and the arcs, and I think things will get a little crazy pretty soon.**

 **Guest (sonic): Ay, thanks!**

* * *

" **There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear."**

 **\- Excerpt from _Dandelions_**

* * *

 _ **This is an account from an incident many years ago….**_

…

[City of Kyoto – Outskirts of Kyoto's Youkai City, Unknown Time]

The people looked to the sky in horror.

They cried out to the gods as the calm blue was torn asunder, and the heavens wept fire.

"SAVE US! MILADY, PLEASE HELP US!"

"Oh...oh Kami, I-I don't want to die!"

"Run to safety! Run, and don't look back!"

"MOMMY! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Oh Lord who art in Heaven...Hallowed be thy name..."

The gods didn't answer. And as the eye of flame turned upon them, they knew fear. Bones returned to ash and flesh turned to cinders.

.

.

.

"REN!" A brunette man turned towards the cry.

"Basara? What the hell are you doing? I thought I told you to get Issei and Asami to safety!"

Another brunette, younger than the other, held a bundled-up baby in his arms. "Asami didn't make it; she handed me Issei and told me to run!" The younger man had tears streaming down his cheeks. "But what are _you_ doing? The kid can't go without his mother and father, Ren!"

"I trust you Basara."

"...Ren…?" The aforementioned man clenched his fists. "Ren...what are you doing?"

"What kind of father...what kind of brother….hell, what kind of man would I be if I didn't protect those near to me?" Ren Hyōdō looked to his little brother. "Look after little Ise for me and Asami, okay Basara?" He gripped the blade at his waist. "Tell him his father and mother loved him more than life itself."

"Ren? REN! REN NO!"

Issei's father ran into the hellstorm ahead, leaving behind a distraught brother and an orphaned child.

...

 _And so the future changed once more…_

* * *

 **Opening Song: EGOIST – Eiyuu Unmei no Uta**

 **Lucidity – Lucidity II**

 _[Lucidity–noun: the ability to think clearly, especially in intervals between periods of confusion or insanity.]_

Issei woke up in a cold sweat. Again.

 _4:37 AM_

Better than yesterday morning, but still terrible. The brunette wiped his face with the towel by his bed before laying his head on the pillow again.

" _Can't sleep?"_ His eyes shot open. No one was there.

So why did he…?

The sound of a giggle scraped across the inside of his head.

' _Where the hell are you? Why can I–?'_ He stopped, sitting on his bed with his head in his heads.

Sweat dripped from Issei's head as his pupils dilated and contracted.

"Haah...haah..heh...I'm going crazy, aren't I?"

' _Only if you think so~'_

He glanced around the room. "Who are you?"

…

No response.

"D-dammit..." The teen got up, stumbling to the bathroom and turning on the faucet. He was just seeing things. The water would help wake him up, right?

A bloodied smiling girl stared back at him in the mirror.

Issei screamed, backing away. At least until her hand covered his mouth.

' _Shhh...sleep...'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

[Issei's Bedroom, 6:00 AM]

Issei woke up...again…? He massaged his temples. It was just a dream...right?

"What just–?" His hands were sticky, and a sweet, metallic kind of scent hung in the air.

A glance in his bathroom mirror confirmed his fears. Bloody handprints marked his face. And one of them – the only dry one, in fact – covered his mouth.

Just like the girl's hand.

He felt sick – hell, nauseous even.

Maybe washing his face would–

…

He cleaned his face, avoiding glancing in the mirror anymore.

 _He also tried to ignore the green glow in his irises._

 **_{lucidity}_**

 **{lnɔıpıʇʎ}**

Basara wasn't downstairs this morning.

Issei glanced at the fridge. "...Need to talk to some contacts...be back when you get back home. Stay out of trouble and remember what we talked about, Issei." He blinked for a moment, before sighing. "Mom was supposed to get groceries though. What the hell am I going to eat?"

[Kuoh Academy, 7:24 AM]

In the end, he had settled for some melon bread and a can of tea from the school store. A couple munches left him satisfied (for now, at least) and his hands empty.

So instead, he turned to his peers.

It had been awhile since he had seen Matsuda or Motohama. Since they had stopped peeping and decided to focus on their studies (or something of the sort), the only time he ever really saw them was at a mixer or at the arcade.

Or when a release was good enough for Motohama to recommend it to him.

The rest of their interactions were through only the finest of shitposting in a group chat with some of their online friends.

The brunette propped his head up with a hand. "Damn...I need more friends."

Heh. As if that was gonna happen anytime soon. After his little trauma-fueled outburst yesterday, the other students were avoiding him. Well, at least moreso than usual. They were apprehensive to approach him – as if he was somehow going to hurt them.

It was better than outright disgust, at the very least. But this was why he took that online emotion control class. To prevent stuff like this from happening.

...Maybe that hypnosis one would come in handy now.

.

.

.

 **DING DONG, DING DONG...DING DONG DING DONG…**

But that could wait until after lunch.

[Kuoh Academy, 10:40 AM]

That tree looked good – for a nap, that is. Issei was tired as fuck, and frankly needed sleep. _Especially_ after that morning.

On one hand, if it worked and he missed class because of it, it wasn't like his reputation would get any worse. But on the other hand…

Wait, no. If he had a nightmare and started screaming, then his reputation wouldn't get any worse either. It was a win-win situation.

A couple minutes (read: hours) sleeping under a tree wouldn't hurt anyone.

…

…

…

...What the fu–

Issei shot up and dodged to the side. A shinai slammed down on where his crotch was previously, causing him to glare in the offender's direction. Green met cold brown.

"Nice contacts, perv." What contacts? More importantly, what the actual _fuck_ were the kendo girls doing?

"Number one, what contacts? And number two, mind explaining to me WHY THE HELL YOU JUST TRIED TO FUCKING HIT ME WHEN I WAS MINDING MY BUSINESS?!" He all but snarled out at them, causing a couple of the weaker willed girls to back away.

Murayama scoffed before pointing her shinai him. "As if! You know damn well what you were doing! The 'evidence' is right next to you."

He slowly blinked at the girl. "You mean the fact that all this grass around me," He spread his arms, gesturing to his previous resting spot, "Is matted down where I was sleeping? Or is there somehow some kind of thing I'm missing…?" _'Come on...keep the temper in check...'_

"No, you sicko. I'm talking about the peephole right next to you!" He glanced to where she was pointing. His eye twitched.

"You mean...the one literally _five fucking feet away from me?_ " A swung shinai from his right was his only response.

He quickly reached out and grabbed it, before wrenching it out of the nameless girls hands (her name was Hina, actually, if he remembered correctly) and disarming Murayama.

" **Stop that. NOW."** He was growling by now, if the terrified look on Hina's was anything to go by. The brunette turned his glare to Murayama, who was cradling her wrist. "Now then, I didn't have fucking nightmares for the last two days just to come here and get beaten up for minding my own business–"

"...wait, nightmares?"

"– _nor_ did I come to some Kami-forsaken random ass spot that I was _obviously sleeping in_ to do something I HAVEN'T DONE SINCE A WHOLE YEAR AGO! I don't know if somehow you dumbasses don't understand the concept of maturity – or hell, even personal growth in general – or if you think that I'm incapable for it for some reason–" He was tired. He was so, so tired.

What was he even doing? They didn't ask to hear his life story. Hell, they thought he was of the scum of the earth. Why would they care? Why would anyone care?

 _Why did his 'parents' care? He wasn't even their son._

"–but I...what am I even doing…?" Issei looked up to see them all looking at him with varying expressions of pity…?

Then he noticed he had drawn an even larger crowd with his rant.

"Hyōdō, you're adopted?" Fuck, he said that out loud? His eyes locked with the speaker…

FUCK, HE SAID THAT IN FRONT OF KATASE?

The girl seemed rather concerned. In fact, now that he thought about it, he didn't even see her up front with Murayama this time.

He almost said something – almost.

Instead he ran away. Just like he always did.

.

.

.

[Kuoh Academy, 1 PM…?]

Maybe it was for the best. He could learn stuff online, right? It'd be better than coming back here.

…

He needed to talk someone. But not just anyone. He needed someone who could ease him into this whole 'supernatural' bullshit. Until then, he'd be stuck with this damn phobia – or whatever it was. Which, when you're in a school with a bunch of ignorant teenagers (at least to what happened to him), probably isn't the best thing to have.

His fight-or-flight instincts had been going haywire since Sunday, and it was driving him insane. Issei needed something – anything – to keep his mind off it.

...He hadn't watched any porn lately…

Issei sighed. Looks like that'd have to do for now.

"Hyōdō-san." Or not. Dammit.

He turned to see a rather awkward looking Kiba standing there. "...Yeah?"

"Er, Buchou wishes to speak with you...again," The blonde winced before continuing. "I wish to...apologize for last time. Buchou was acting under some misconceptions she had about you. An, uh, advisor of hers made sure to inform her of what she misunderstood."

By Kami, that was the most awkward explanation he had ever heard. But Kiba was just as awkward as anyone else he guessed…

Eh, screw it. He needed more friends anyways. And if one of them just so happened to be a servant of the school's resident devil (He kinda hated how much it made sense in context. Come on now. The body? The reputation? The privilege and clique? None of that was natural.), then what would it matter?

Besides, Basara had wanted him to meet with them anyways. Now he just had an excuse to do it.

"Sure. I'll bite."

Kiba seemed a bit surprised. "Ah...well then, right this way Hyōdō-san."

 **_{lucidity}_**

 **{lnɔıpıʇʎ}**

[Kuoh Academy – Old School Building, 1:32 PM]

From the look on the redhead's face, Issei knew that they were going to make it awkward. So instead, he took the lead.

"So...you guys are devils. Does that mean you like, mid control them other students or something?"

Not the best opener, if the look on Akeno's face was anything to go by. But the brunette was a bit more interested in Kiba's reaction.

The blonde had winced (again), before shooting a slightly disappointed look to Rias and Akeno.

Interesting. So does that mean he was right in his assumptions?

In other news, Rias was angry. "Of course not!" Another look from Kiba. Iiiiinnnnteresting. "Why would we–"

"They practically worship the ground you walk on. I would know, since I used to as well," _That_ got her attention. "Not to mention that you're the only devil I currently know of here. So why wouldn't I come to that conclusion."

It was a bold accusation. He knew it was. But the old man never led him astray.

Even if he was drunk off his ass a solid 60 percent of the time.

Akeno and Rias were red with what Issei assumed was anger. That meant it was time to move in for the kill.

"When you called me here yesterday, did you know what happened on Sunday? My date – how she grew wings and ripped my chest open?"

Rias stopped, closing her mouth. "I...well, we–"

"It had to have been right? There's nothing special about me. I have average grades, average looks, and the only thing that sticks out is that everyone hates my existence."

"Pervert." Yes, Koneko. He was a pervert, much like many other people she probably knew. Like miss S&M over there with the angry look on her face.

What? He was a high schooler too. Cut him some slack; the Kuoh rumor mill always had new crap to talk about.

"What would make the _oh so illustrious_ Rias Gremory herself so interested in me?" The atmosphere was tense.

Issei wasn't foolish. The old man had raised him better than that. But he also knew that while this was the best way for him to fish for information, it was also the most dangerous way.

One wrong move, and he could die – _again._

But something deep inside him was whispering sweet venom into his ear.

 _Let them try,_ it said. _We'll smite them all. After all, it is our reason to exist. An apex above all; an already seated throne._

It terrified him.

"You're right..."

"Hm?"

The redhead sighed. "I have been watching you for a while. There's always been something different about you Hyōdō-kun. But whenever we look deeper..." Her eyes met his. "We find nothing."

"Nothing?" Issei raised a brow. "Of course you wouldn't. I told you that–"

"I meant nothing in a literal sense."

Oh. Shit. That was a different matter entirely.

But hold on, they were looking through his family records?

He felt his face twist into a scowl. "Since when does another student have the authority to look into another students personal records?"

"When it involves the safety of _my_ territory," Her gaze hardened. "And someone who shouldn't even be alive in the first place."

The old man said Devils like chess, right? Well then.

' _Checkmate.'_

"So you did know what happened. And considering you seem so ready to flex your authority in the name of protecting your territory," The brunette leaned forward. "Mind telling me why you decided not to exercise that same authority when I died? And by the hands of a Fallen at that."

By now, he wasn't sure what was worse – the possibility that they simply let him die, or the fact that the _entire_ conversation was almost exactly they way Basara said it would go. They would instantly deny any claims of charming students, attempt to express irritation as a scare tactic, seemingly cave when backed into a corner, and then finally try to put him in a compromising position with their authority.

Unfortunately for them, he had an oddly knowledgeable uncle. No, really, how the hell did he know all this shit? More importantly, who decided to put a high school girl over a section of Japan? This was real life, not an eroge.

And now that stupid fucking smell was back.

Wait, was that part of that charm spell thing he was talking about? Because Issei definitely felt obligated to walk over there, bend Rias over her desk, and bang the living daylights out of her.

Like, he'd heard of a painful boner before, but this shit _hurt_.

No, bad thoughts! Come on Issei, think of something disgusting! Uh….

Uh…

Oh, that man-spider thing from Sunday night in a G-stri– fuck. Now he felt nauseous.

That was wayyy too many eyes. And you know, _male._

Were they waiting for something? "Uh, are you guys alright?" Issei glanced back over to Kiba (was he really looking into the redhead's eyes for that long?) only to see him just as baffled as everyone else in the room.

Did he hit the nail on the head or something? Unsurprising, but that reaction was odd.

"Ah…Hyōdō-kun, are you...feeling alright?"

Uh?

"Yeah…? Is there supposed to be something wrong?" Aside from being charmed. _Again._

Kiba tapped his chin, almost as if looking for the right words. "No...I guess not. Buchou?"

"Oh, right," Rias gathered her composure, clearing her throat. "Would you mind coming back tomorrow?"

Hell no, bitch. You don't just give a man a raging boner and then do nothing about it!

"Sure, but could you answer my question first?" Damn, that sounded passive-aggressive. Was he always like this?

Oh yeah. Insecurity is a bitch. That was why. He walked up in here with minimal knowledge, and practically just a script from the old man to go off of.

Why did he even agree to this again?

"Well...your case was a bit..." She bit her lip. "Outside of our jurisdiction."

" _Outside of your jurisdiction?_ " Issei stared in disbelief. "You just claimed to rule over a portion of the country, and then claimed that a person getting murdered by something that _I'm pretty sure is a sworn enemy of your species_ is outside your jurisdiction?"

Rias nodded. Issei kept staring.

"By all means, she technically shouldn't exist. The same goes for quite a bit in this town. In fact, that's why we founded the Occult Research Club in the first place."

"Wait, so it's not a cover for your peerage?" The old man was actually wrong for once?

They seemed a bit shocked that he had made that conclusion. Which he hadn't, but it wasn't like Issei was actually about to tell them that.

If he could avoid looking stupid in front of hot chicks, he would. Becoming a Harem King is hard work people.

Hard, unforgiving work.

"Well, it is, but we also conduct investigations of any odd occurrences in Kuoh as part of our services. If you come back tomorrow we could perhaps discuss this further…?" She was definitely trying to get him out now.

But an offer to talk about weird stuff in Kuoh with Rias Gremory herself – that was too good to pass up. Way too good.

At this point, if she tried to kill him, he'd just follow through with whatever fantasies she tried to put in his head.

Wait, fuck, that sounded rape-y. Ridiculously so.

Whatever, might as well agree.

"Sure," Issei stood up. "Any specific time you want me to drop by?"

"Anytime after class before seven should be fine. Yuuto," Rias gestured to the blonde by the door. "Would you mind showing Hyōdō-kun out?"

The brunette's eye twitched as the other boy bowed to her. "As you wish, Buchou. Right this way."

As the two stepped out into the hallway, Kiba suddenly bowed to Issei.

"I would like to apologize for my master's disposition."

"E-eh? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"After a meeting with Sit – er – Shitori-san earlier this week, she's been in a sort. Kaichou really tore into her about doing her duties as one of the caretakers of Kuoh."

"Ah, so – wait a sec. Kaichou is a Devil too?!" Issei felt his brain short-circuiting. Was every single popular student a Devil or something?

That…actually made perfect sense.

"Ah, it seems I slipped out some crucial information," Kiba blandly stated. "Please disregard my previous statement."

His eyes said something else entirely. _Remember this shit_ , he 'said' to the brunette.

"I...see...So does this mean that my earlier claim about the whole brainwashing thing was true?"

Kiba seemed to debate something internally for a moment. "While that is not necessarily the case, it is true to an extent," His shoulders sagged. "I'll be frank with you Hyōdō-kun. You being exposed to the supernatural world is actually beneficial to me."

"Wait – what – Why?!" Was everyone losing their mind today?

The blonde's eyes hardened. "For those not knowledgeable about the supernatural world, suggestions are easy to implant. What's the saying; 'Ignorance is bliss', is it? The same logic can be applied to the **[Waking World]**."

" **[Waking World]**?" Issei could practically taste the power oozing off of the words. "What's that?"

"For lack of a better explanation, I'll say this. It's the level of existence perceivable by those exposed to what would be considered 'not natural'. It's the reason you aren't screaming in my face right now, why the students treat us the way they do, and most importantly –" He pointed back at the clubroom door. "Why you can tell Buchou was trying to charm you. If you still retained your **Ignorance** , her natural aura would have done the work for her."

Why did Issei feel like the 'i' in ignorance was capitalized?

"Kiba-kun's right, you know."

Issei most certainly _did not_ scream like a little girl. Not in the slightest.

A shorter black-haired girl stepped out from the shadows, looking vaguely amused.

Kiba could only sigh. Again. "Do you always have to announce yourself so..."

"Wonderfully? With striking subtlety? Gracefully?" Her brown eyes shone with amusement.

"I was going to say _creepily_ , but annoying works as of now as well."

She waved a hand at the servant. "Yeah, yeah. Well who asked you anyways. "

Kiba rolled his eyes at her. "Issei, this is Utsuro Karada. She's our kouhai."

The girl offered a bright smile and a wave.

"...And a good for nothing freeloader. Technically she's apart of the ORC, but she doesn't actually _do_ anything – ACK!" Kiba yelped as a book slammed into the back of his head.

" _I_ am a valued member of the Occult Researcher Club, thank you very much!"

…But…

"But you didn't even get the name right..." Issei wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh at or cry for the downed blonde.

"ANYWAYS! Kiba-kun, while stupid–"

"Hey!" A shoe to the face was his response.

"–makes a good point. **Ignorance** has a lot more meaning in the supernatural world than what you're used to."

"By all means, do my job for me," Kiba groaned.

"Oh, shush you! You're just excited you can actually make a friend here for once."

Wait, _what_.

"How the hell do you need friends? Girls are asking you out on the daily!" Issei just didn't understand. By all means, not every girl at Kuoh was a supermodel, but that didn't negate the fact that they were _all_ attractive. How the hell can you be lonely if you have that many of them trying to talk to you on a daily basis?

"Exactly. _Girls_. I have literally no male friends. NONE. You really expect me to willingly surround myself with that much estrogen on a daily basis?" Kiba sounded...hurt? What the fuck? "All the other club members are female–"

"What about Gasper?" The look on Utsuro's face was possibly the most smug expression Issei had seen in a week.

Kiba stopped his 'righteous' tirade, his face losing all emotion. "You and I both know that Gasper doesn't count, and probably never will."

"Fair enough."

...Who the hell was Gasper?

"My point is, Issei, I need male friends. People I can actually talk to without either coming off as a relationship candidate or an irredeemable pervert."

"So you would willingly talk to the school's resident 'irredeemable pervert'?" Issei dryly asked.

The other male threw his hands into the air. "Fuck if I care! The exit's over there, Karada knows where it is – by the Maous I just want to watch porn..." He stormed into another room, grumbling the whole time.

"Did...did he just say 'fuck'?"

"Ise-kun, Kiba-kun says he needs to watch porn, and the first thing you focus on that he said 'fuck'?"

The brunette looked back at her. "Kiba is a man. More importantly, he's a man that seems like he just had a shitty week. Men like us need a way to cope sometimes."

"And yours was?"

Traps. Glorious traps and cute moe shit. Not that anyone would ever know.

"I'd...rather not talk about it." It was better that no one _ever_ knew. The last thing he needed was people calling him a pedo, or the JSDF busting down his door.

...Did they even handle that kind of stuff?

In other news, Utsuro's glance was starting to feel just a bit judgmental. "Uh, could you show me the exit Karada-san."

"Sure thing, _Ise-senpai_."

By Kami, that gave him the shivers. In a good way too.

 **\- With Kiba (And probably a solid 30 minutes later) -**

Kiba walked back into the clubroom, 'knight mode' already active.

Sometimes he just needed a break from it all. Sure, being nice and all that was pretty natural, but after that one incident in Lilith…

Needless to say, he understood where the 'Perverted Trio' were coming from during their 'glory days'. He truly did. But it was really easy to let that consume everything else in your brain.

 _Really easy._

Being surrounded by girls on the daily didn't really help either. Perhaps that online class he'd seen ads about would help…

But not the hypnotism one. Who the hell would even need that?

The blonde bowed to his master. "I would like to apologize for my earlier conduct, Buchou. I was rather stressed this last week." _'Mainly due to you,'_ he added in his head.

"Ara, ara. If you want, I could help you _de-_ stress, Yuuto-kun."

The innuendo didn't go unnoticed by him, ungraceful as it was. As if he'd actually fall for that. He liked his back free of whip scars, thank you very much. Not to mention that she wouldn't even mean it on a good day.

The most he'd get would be a few fleeting shoulder touches, some dirty talk, and far more than a couple of cuts.

Scratch that. A couple of _gouges_ if the venom in her smile was anything to go by. By the Maous he missed the old days. Where Akeno would tease normally, Rias would obsess over what ever the newest shonen anime was, and Koneko would _purr_.

And when Gasper wasn't inside his box. Or pillows in this case. It was progress, but still pretty weird.

But then they got older. And hormonal.

And yes, Gasper was included in this. He swore that the other blonde had some kind of boy-period or something.

Behind that smile, Kiba thought a whole lot.

That's what his Twitter was for.

"Don't worry about it Yuuto. We've all been stressed as of late."

He felt his eye twitch. Once again, his master still wasn't getting it.

Rias was great. She was kind, pretty relatable, attractive, and fair to those in her service – such as himself. But she was also an eighteen year-old set over a section of a country. Things like that usually don't happen; and for good reason.

Kiba did have faith in her...but that faith was being tried as of a month ago.

She was starting to get lazy in her work – which definitely didn't escape Sona's attention – and the end results were starting to give him a migraine. Random Stray Devils, new urban legends that they had no knowledge of (Yuuma didn't count, considering she'd been here longer than they had), and backed up requests.

And then Sona verbally ripped her a new one.

Fast forward to now, and the Occult Research Club was stuck with dealing with all of it at one time. Kiba was stuck doing requests in the evenings, then hunting Strays till the next morning.

If one more girl asked him to take their virginity, he might actually do it. Sex was supposed to be an excellent way do de-stress, or so he heard.

But at least he had one less Stray to worry about. Marvus, one of the more recent criminals to emerge from the Underworld, was found dead on Sunday night. His body was found dead – cut in half from head to pelvis – in Kuoh Central...Park…

Oh.

 _Oh._

Wasn't that where Koneko said Issei had his date? Then...that would also have been where he died, meaning either him or Yuuma killed his target. Considering that Issei was both alive and _not_ a Devil, and Marvus was cut in half, he'd wager Issei did it.

...Why couldn't Rias have just decided to have her familiar hand out fliers instead of doing it herself? She could've just already had Issei in her peerage already. Without trying to resort to charming him in a clubroom. It wasn't that hard. Dishonorable as hell, but not hard.

A mark on the blonde's left hand began to glow.

"I'll report back when I finish, Buchou."

"I see. Have fun, Yuuto."

He vanished at the redhead's words.

…

And then reappeared in a bedroom.

"Is this the Prince-san you were talking about, Mina? He's perfect!"

"I told you!"

The blonde Devil gave his most charming smile. "And what did you ladies summon me for tonight?" They both seemed about thirteen or so, so maybe he was out of hot water.

"Er, take our virginities Prince-san!"

The smile almost crumbled.

' _I know I'm a Devil, but even we have standards.'_

 **\- With Issei -**

Of course the old man would send him out to get groceries the moment he got home. Why did he expect anything else?

…

Where the hell was his mom?!

[Kuoh Town – Market Street, 8:12 PM]

"Alright. I got the milk, the eggs, the cheese and peppers...some more rice and spices..." Issei mumbled to himself, taking inventory of the groceries. "So now I just need to get the – huh?" The brunette's eyes widened as he saw a very familiar face.

A _very unfortunately familiar_ face. After all, how could he forget the face of Amano Yuuma-chan – the girl who ripped his chest open and left him for dead?

A sultry smile sat on her face as she followed a white haired teen down an alleyway.

In another life, Issei would leave this be and go about his business until he was pulled into conflict over a blonde nun.

This was not that life. Instead he warily approached the alley opening.

"It seems this is the end of the line for you, exorcist-san~" The insanity under her sweet voice was bubbling up again.

Oh Kami, he remembered the pain. The fear.

 _Well, Ise-kun? Would you diiieeeeee for meeee?_

And as he watched on in horror, not one, not two, but _three_ pairs of wings blacker than night unfurled from her back.

He wanted to run, but found himself stuck in place – tears streaming down his cheeks as a cold sweat covered him.

He was shaking. Whimpering. **Useless.**

"What the– A civilian? Come on! Hey, get the hell out of here man! It isn't safe!" The white haired teen was yelling something at him, but he couldn't hear it.

He felt numb from fear and hopelessness as the _thing_ in front of him turned, _it's_ cute face hiding the monster beneath.

The fallen angel let out a breath. "...Ise-kun…?" A crazed smile came over her face. "ISE-KUN!"

She was on him in an instant.

Issei shivered as Yuuma rubbed herself on him, planting kisses all over his face and neck, touching him and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. It was sensory overload – he didn't know whether to cry in fear or succumb to the intoxicating pleasure.

"I missed you so much~" A pair of wings draped themselves around his waist. "I was so scared I would never see you again, but my love for you must have brought you back here!" The alleyway seemed so much...darker. A sick gleam came into her eyes. "But you're here now...and I can **love you lots.** " Her voice seemed hysterical. **"And you won't run away this time right? And you won't come to me smelling like any of those other** _ **whores**_ **at that school of yours, riiiiiigggghhht?"** She glanced back at the alley's other occupant, her cutesy demeanor returning. "But we can't have our reunion now, of course. So... **see you soon Ise-kun.** "

The fallen angel pressed her lips to his again, forcing her tongue into his mouth.

"…!" Issei felt like he was on the verge on an aneurysm.

Yuuma gave him one last glance, before giving the 'exorcist' a dark grin and practically disappearing in a burst of speed.

The brunette had just collapsed to his knees when the other teen ran over to him.

"Hey, hey!" The white haired 'exorcist' slapped his cheeks a few times. "You good?"

"...I should be asking you that..." Issei groaned.

"Me? She was the one literally all over you! What the hell even happened? You looked like you were gonna fuckin' pass out man."

"Long...story..." Issei finally felt decent enough to stand again, doing so while extending a hand to the other teen. "So what's your name, exorcist-san? I'm Issei Hyōdō."

The white haired boy grinned at him before taking it. "Freed Sellzen, at your service." He winced. "Hey man, you got any bandages or somethin'?" A red spot was starting to form on the white hoodie Freed was wearing. "She got me pretty good earlier."

"My house isn't too far from here. Just...no weird stuff alright?"

Freed chuckled. "I think we've both had enough of that for one day."

The two left the alley, ignorant to the eyes watching them go down the street.

…

 **\- No Perspective -**

"Dohnaseek, you there? Come on, pick up!"

"Yeah, I'm here. Don't get your panties in a knot – if you even wear any anyways."

"Shut the hell up! Now's _not_ the time. Remember that kid we saw dead in the park? He's alive. More than that, he also found Freed."

"...oh shit. What the hell do you want me to do about it?"

"Make sure Mittlet doesn't hang around Kuoh Academy. We don't know if he's allied with Gremory yet, so aggravating the little princess would only end badly for us. Azazel-sama wanted us to keep our operation low-key, so avoiding any unnecessary supernatural contact would be nice."

"Got it."

"Oh, and Dohnaseek?"

"Yeah?"

"If you can talk to him without Gremory interference...do it. Azazel-sama had him listed as a secondary target."

"Heh, leave it to me Kala."

 **_{lucidity}_**

 **{lnɔıpıʇʎ}**

"Hey Issei, you took longer than I thought – what the fuck."

Basara almost dropped his mug. "What the hell are you – you know what? Whatever. Please tell me he's alive."

"Yes, he's alive," Issei sighed. "Although if we just sit here, he might not be old man. Do you remember where we put the bandages?"

"Oh, yeah. Check under the sink." The older brunette gestured towards the kitchen, prompting Issei to dash away from Freed. "Hey, kid. You still conscious?"

"...Yeah...you need somethin'…?" The white haired teen seemed to be having a bit of trouble keeping his head up.

"I do. I'm gonna need you to keep talking, alright? Try to stay awake. Can you do that for me?"

"...I can try...Is there something...wrong with getting some sleep though…? I'm..." Freed's head bobbed a bit. "Pretty...fucking...tired…."

Basara shot up, snapping his fingers. "Hey! Hey! Stay with me here," He turned towards the kitchen. "Where the hell are those bandages Issei?! He looks like he's lost a lot more than we thought!"

Issei sprinted into the room with his arms full of bandages and painkillers. He quickly set them down, wrapping and treating the wounds under Basara's careful instruction.

The elder brunette watched as the last stray bandage piece was cut off before setting his mug on a nearby end table. "So now that this little crisis has been averted, you mind telling me what the hell's going on here?"

"Well," Issei began, "I went to get the groceries like you asked, but everything kinda went downhill."

He gestured to Freed. "I found this guy facing off against the chick who kill – killed me in an alley while on my way back here. He tried to tell me to get away, but she turned around and saw me–"

Basara noted Issei's distress. The younger brunette had gone pale, and his skin looked clammy and slick with sweat. "...And then what…?" Basara gently coaxed.

"I – she,"

"She was all over him."

The two snapped their heads to their (assumedly) comatose guest.

"I tried to tell 'im to run before that psycho caught wind of 'im, but he froze up," Freed explained before turning to Issei. "Guess I know why. Either way, she started actin' like some clingy-ass girlfriend or somethin', that shitty fallen."

He glanced Issei up and down. "...you aren't... _actually_ her boyfriend right? 'Cause if so I ain't sure if you're a lucky or sorry bastard."

"Wha–"

"Eh, doesn't matter," Freed waved a hand. "So you're Basara, huh."

The man stared at Freed for a moment. "I might be. You need something kid?"

The white haired teen winced as he got into a dogeza position. "I, Freed Sellzen, exorcist of the Kyoto branch of the Catholic Church, do humbly request your assistance Hyōdō Basara-dono."

"...Holy shit," Basara gawked. "Alright, so A, please don't do that, this is hella uncomfortable; and B, how the hell do you even know to ask _me_ for help?"

Issei looked between his 'father' and the so-called exorcist.

"Lady Einsworth–" Basara choked on his spit. "– instructed me to seek you out if I found myself in need of an ally in Kuoh. Since I've already been attacked after being here for less than five hours, I've found myself in need of one," Sweat was steadily dripping from Freed. "Please help me if ya' could."

Basara, for one, was slightly impressed. He had somehow suppressed his accent in an attempt to make his request more 'official'. On the other hand, Elizabeth- _fucking_ -Einsworth training a _male_?

He assumed there was an entire damn blizzard in the Fourth Circle by now.

"Alright then kid. The stupid broad was bound to cash in a favor one of these days," Basara grumbled. "What was your little mission?"

Issei helped a nervous looking Freed sit back up and on the couch. "Uh, yeah...So that's the thing," Freed hesitantly began.

A deep breath. "I've been tasked with somethin' important to the future of the world, apparently."

Basara took a sip.

"I've been sent here to ensure the safety of the Holy Maiden Asia Argento and probably stop the Third Great War from startin'. Ya' know, the usual," Freed laughed nervously. "Though, I ain't gotta clue what Sacred Gear she's got that makes her so special."

Basara mulled over the information, ignoring his son's wide eyes. Asia Argento, huh….wait.

Wait a second. Asia Argento? Holy Maiden?

 _Sacred Gear?_

Basara spat out his drink, startling the others. "THE FUCK?"

"Uh, is somethin' wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong!" Basara roared. "You mind telling me exactly _why the hell_ the Holy Maiden isn't in the Vatican?! If she dies, there isn't 'probably' gonna be a Great War; that shit'll start almost instantly!"

Freed was still for a moment. "So you don't know..."

"Know what?"

The exorcist said nothing for a moment, before bowing his head. "As of three days ago," He began. "Asia Argento was deemed a heretic, and excommunicated from the Church. The penalty for her return?" Freed scowled.

" _Death._ "

* * *

 **And cut. Originally this chapter was going to be longer, but I really wanted to end on that line. Sorry this took so long. It was actually supposed to come out last month, but I went to Louisiana. So yeah. I also started working on a semi-crack Fate story, but I'm having some trouble with that.**

 **This chapter's story recommendation, as you probably saw at the top, is Dreams of Red. Pretty good AU imo.**

 **Drop a review if you would! It helps me improve and boosts motivation (moreso than usual, I guess), and I'll do my best to respond too!**

 **Author's Corner**

 **On Freed:** **He's always used as a one-off villain or some weird-ass psycho, so I wanted to try something new. I feel like there's a lot of untapped potential there.**

 **On Kiba:** **Maybe I'm the only person that thinks there's more to Kiba. He's still awkward, pretty-boy Kiba, but w** **ith the problems you'd expect from having hormones and being surrounded by females.**

 **And Gasper.**

 **And come on, you can't tell me Rias and her peerage don't act like normal teenagers at all. You just can't. And there's no way that Kiba doesn't vent. There really just isn't. Besides, he's supposedly a closet perv in canon. (As told by Issei. Read it yourself or check the wiki if you don't believe me.)**

 **On Issei:** **A lot calmer here (lol not really), but suffering from a sort of quiet panic. I feel as if Issei is smarter than people give him credit for. It says that there's no need for Entrance Exams as long as the student has decent grades, so…**

 **Besides, he has different parents here and slightly different problems. Why the fuck not eh?**

 **On Rias:** **I personally feel as if Rias does her job a little** ** _too_ well. She's slightly more, er, clumsy here do differentiate her actions more from Sona. Since Sona's the 'smart' one, I feel like she's gotten some help from Sona on how to do her share of the ruling.**

 **That and she's angry and desperate. Fun combo there.**

* * *

 **\- Codex Archives: Lucidity -**

 **Issei Hyōdō:** A seventeen year-old second year student at Kuoh Academy, and adoptive son of Tsuki and Basara Hyōdō. His dream is to become Harem King – a dream that might come true sooner than he thinks – but he also used to have a strong attraction to Yumi Katase, one of the two captains of Kuoh's kendo team.

After falling by the hands of Yuuma Amano, Issei has suffered from nightmares and visions. What does it mean, and what does his murderer have in store for him?

 **Basara Hyōdō:** A man in his late early thirties who was tasked with raising Issei by his brother, Ren Hyōdō. He unfortunately doesn't know how to 'properly' parent, but tries his best – when he's not drinking that is. During his travels, he gathered a host of various skills and weapons, and a taste for alcohol.

With the arrival of the exorcist Freed, he finds himself thrust into yet another conflict between the Factions of the world. Just what is it that makes his aid so important?

 **Utsuro Karada:** A first year student at Kuoh Academy and Issei's kouhai. She is apparently a member of (or at least affiliated with) the Occult Research Club, and enjoys messing with it's members. Her odd amount of knowledge of the Supernatural World – or **[Waking World]** – makes her a prime contender for the role of Issei's supernatural 'senpai'.

Although, her name seems rather familiar…

 **Rias Gremory:** The president of the Occult Research Club, one of the 'Great Ladies of Kuoh', and Kiba's [King] and probably responsible for the sheer weirdness of Kuoh's students. She has an interest in Issei, but doesn't necessarily now how to approach him. For what reason, you ask? To recruit him of course!

...Right? Unfortunately, that charm spell was suspect as hell.

 **Kiba Yuuto:** The 'Great Prince' of Kuoh Academy, and a servant to Rias Gremory. He bonded with Issei over mutual annoyance, and sees him as a prospective acquaintance. Interestingly, there's far more than meets the eye with the blonde.

He may have a clue as to why Rias has been making bad decisions as of late.

Maybe. He hopes.

 **Asia Argento:** The Holy Maiden of the Vatican – at least before her excommunication. According to Freed, she is being sent to Kuoh Town.

 **Freed Sellzen:** An exorcist from the Kyoto branch of the Catholic Church. He was sent to Kuoh Town to protect Asia Argento and request assistance from Basara Hyōdō.

If Issei hadn't found him, he would certainly be dead – or worse.

 **Yumi Katase:** One of the two captains of Kuoh Academy's Kendo Club. After watching his meltdown, she's curious as to what had changed with him.

 **Ignorance:** A term referring to the phenomenon experienced by those not exposed to the **[Waking World]** that makes them both extremely more susceptible to magic, and naturally dispositioned to ignore it. One could liken it to being asleep, only to find that your darkest dreams were already reality. **Ignorance** can be eliminated by coming into direct contact with magic, dying, or other...much more horrifying methods.

Although one could wonder, for all their stories and dreams, what keeps humanity within their **Ignorance**? Is it folly, or a desperate attempt to deny a horrible truth?

 **[Waking World]:** A term referring to the world of the Supernatural. Humans and other beings lacking in **Ignorance** experience this world at all times, while some individuals are able to catch fleeting glimpses of the world buried under the lie they live in.

But what does this imply? Was humanity not meant to gaze upon the faces of 'gods' or were the 'gods' not meant to touch the desperate souls of mortals?

 **Kuoh Town:** A rather large town to the southwest of Kyoto. Kuoh is said to be a cultural meeting point – a haven to the supernatural. The amount of urban legends within Kuoh is worth noting to any who wish to stay there.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, it's starting to seem like those stories are no mere legends…


End file.
